LAKE LURE, N.C. (WLOS) — Hundreds of boaters can now dock at the Washburn Marina in Lake Lure again for the first time since Helene hit in September 2024.
"After 22 months and hauling this boat down here when we wanted to go in, it’s great. It’s fantastic and the lake is beautiful. It’s about time," said Rob Campbell, a boater.
"It's great...to be able to now come back again after what we saw two years ago," said Bob Cassano, another boater.
The town rebuilt the marina after it was destroyed in Helene.
"My boat crashed into the side over there. The whole marina lifted up and went across the lake, so we got it back about two and a half months after the storm. Not a scratch on it. Others weren’t so lucky," said Campbell.
The reopened marina has 208 seasonal parking slips or spots where people can dock, and it has six daily slips. Lake Lure Mayor Carol Pritchett says this marina not only gives boaters access to the lake, but also brings revenue to the town.
"We have a couple sources of revenue only for the town: One is ad valorem taxes of course, you know concession agreements. The other is the revenue from the boat slips and the permitting of the boats, and so that is a huge increase in the town’s revenue which is very, very important to us."
Pritchett says it not only brings the town government dollars, which it needs to maintain the lake, but the marina also supports the town’s economy.
"They’re going to be out on the lake, and they’re going to be taking advantage of all the other amenities here like the restaurants and things like that, so it’s hugely important," said Pritchett.
While the marina is back open to boaters, it’s not finished yet. The town said it will have a fueling station and a courtesy dock installed by next week.
It will also open a temporary building for Lake Lure Tours within the coming weeks.'
STORY COURTESY OF WLOS-TV13
